If you missed this series when it aired a few months ago, you
should definitely watch it on DVD. Any TV or history fan should enjoy it.
I grew up watching many TV miniseries like "Roots" as well as all the John Jakes
movies like "The Bastard" and "The Rebel" and then later, "The Thorn Birds" and
"The Winds of War". They had tons of these in the 70's and 80's. I always loved
them. It's kind of like a mini-soap opera. It gives them plenty of time to
develop characters, more than a regular movie.
The movie focuses mostly on Joe, Jack, Jackie, and Bobbie, as
well as Rose and Ethel. It doesn't even mention Ted or most of the other
siblings, even though there were 9 children, with Ted being the most
accomplished Kennedy. They never say why on this DVD, but I'm guessing that it
had something to do with Ted Kennedy's death. Either they filmed it when he was
very sick or already dead, so they didn't want to get in trouble for tarnishing
his memory. Who knows. It would have been a better movie, if they had
included him, but it might also have been longer .
The beginning of the movie is a bit confusing, since they jump
back and forth between the 1940's and the 1960's, but you quickly figure it out.
It's not that challenging. I didn't think it was a particularly negative
portrayal of anyone aside from Joe Kennedy, who is seen as fairly monstrous.
Bobby and Jackie are portrayed as almost saintly. JFK is seen as very human,
with many faults, but still quite a hero and as a great president.
I did enjoy watching the movie and the DVD very much. The extras
are very good. There is a long feature all about the making of the miniseries.
It includes everything, including the writing, the casting, the acting the
historical details, the sets, the costumes, the directing, and the make-up. That
was very interesting to watch. I particularly enjoyed hearing about how they did
the makeup to make the actors look more like the original people, and how they
used CGI for some of the backgrounds.
I am not a history buff, and I did not live during most of the
time portrayed here in the movie, but it seems fairly accurate to me. I even
looked up some of the information in the movie that was dubbed "controversial"
and apparently it is true. They did not just make up stuff, from what I could
tell. JFK did have problems with many illnesses and pain, and he took a lot of
drugs, as well as cheated on his wife many times. They do admit in the
"Making of The Kennedys" feature that they had to guess when it came to the
intimate conversations between the characters. That would be true with any
historical miniseries.
Whether true or not, it is a very interesting miniseries to
watch. The actors did a great job of bringing the historical characters to life.
Greg Kinnear in particular was fabulous as JFK. They really got a top notch cast
for this.
I did expect it to be better because of Joel Surnow's
involvement, but he did not write it - he just was executive producer. I enjoyed
his work in "24" and "La Femme Nikita", so that was a bit disappointing. This is
not exactly an action flick, though, so maybe that's why he didn't write it.
Even though he is a right-winger (and I am the opposite), I
enjoy his action-adventure stories. I really don't think ANY artist should be
held accountable for their art, if it influences other people. If any military
people did emulate the torture used in 24, that is not his fault, any more than
it's the fault of rock singers if some teens listen to their songs and do drugs
or other crimes.
Press Info
THE KENNEDYS –Available Now Exclusively at ShoptheShows.com
America’s Royal Family. The Kennedys chronicles society and class,
scandal and tragedy, public greatness and private family. All played
against the backdrop of one of the most momentous decades in history.
-3
Discs -8 Part Series, 6 Hours -45 Minutes of Bonus Material -$29.95
exclusively at www.ShoptheShows.com
About Shoptheshows.com : Shop the
Shows is your official online shop for entertainment, bringing you the
best products from TV and movies. Think of us as your one-stop shop for
apparel, accessories and gifts tied to entertainment including exclusive
products that you won't find anywhere else. Be sure to check back every
week for great offers, low shipping rates and fresh arrivals. It's
entertainment to go!
"Without a doubt one of the best, most riveting, historically
accurate dramas about a time and place in American history that has
ever been done for TV." -- Linda Stasi, NY Post
LOS ANGELES, CA
--April 28, 2011 - Muse Distribution International today announced
the DVD release of THE KENNEDYS. The highly anticipated miniseries,
starring Greg Kinnear, Barry Pepper, Katie Holmes and Tom Wilkinson,
is now available for pre-order on DVD in the United States
exclusively at _www.shoptheshows.com_ (http://www.shoptheshows.com/) .
The DVD will ship on May 15th. Produced by Muse Entertainment in
association with Asylum Entertainment, and aired by ReelzChannel
starting April 3rd, the historical drama ventures to the upstairs of
the White House to chronicle the saga of America's most iconic first
family, the Kennedys.
Following the family from the 1930s to 1968,
the miniseries provides an intimate look at how Joseph Kennedy Sr.
shaped his sons John and Robert to become two of the most influential
men in the country. The major political events of the era, such as
the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the civil
rights movement, play in the background of the personal relationships
between brother and brother, father and sons and husbands and wives.
THE KENNEDYS recounts the scandal, tragedy, public greatness and
private frailty of America´s fabled political family during one of
the most momentous decades in history.
Product information: 3 Discs;
Run time 6 hours 15 minutes with 45 minutes of bonus footage including
Making of the Kennedys. THE KENNEDYS three-disc set, which will
ship May 15, 2011, with an SRP of $39.95, will be on sale for $29.99.
About Muse Distribution International, Inc.
Muse Distribution
International is the sales arm of Muse Entertainment Enterprises,
delivering television programming and feature films to broadcasters,
cable and pay networks and to theatrical, VOD, video and DVD
distributors around the world. Muse Distribution has a library of
more than 300 hours of top quality entertainment, including primetime
event programming, true-life dramas, captivating movies and mini
series, series for families and for children as well as
thought-provoking documentaries. Most recently, Muse Entertainment
produced the 8-hr. television event THE KENNEDYS. Muse also
co-produced the 8-hr. event series Pillars of the Earth, based on the
popular Ken Follett novel. Muse produced Being Human, an other-worldly
series, as well as other big-event, miniseries such as Ben Hur, The
Phantom, The Last Templar, Impact, Human Trafficking and Answered by
Fire. Muse has won numerous awards and nominations.
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